


Somewhere Else

by demiquaver



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen, Pre-Season/Series 01, Shiro (Voltron)-centric, kind of a character study?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-05
Updated: 2018-09-05
Packaged: 2019-07-07 11:13:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15907146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/demiquaver/pseuds/demiquaver
Summary: When you want to be somewhere else, what's gonna take you away from where you are?





	1. Exploration

As a kid, Shiro always knew there was something for him beyond the stars and that he would go to whatever lengths necessary to reach it. It started out with an obsession to learn and memorize all the constellations and star names that he could. He learned all about how sailors and explorers of old all used the stars to navigate around the world.

But as he grew older, he came to a strange realization. No matter how many stars are visible, there’s something infinitely more interesting and compelling about the night sky. For any two adjacent stars, there is an unimaginably vast field of space between them. Who knows what could actually be out there? Who knows what could be _beyond_ the stars? Shiro knew then and there that he needed to be one of the first to go out there and to see it for himself. 

Now to just find a way to reach those elusive stars…

The summer after turning 16, Shiro would spend weeks at a time researching any space exploration program available to him. Each one he found was either vastly too far (“Takashi honey, I love you, I really do,” his mother would say, “but we’re not able to send you halfway across the globe.”) or way out of his family’s budget. Prestigious STEM academies were always out of the question.

Just as Shiro’s fruitless search was beginning to become disheartening, a better solution than he could have hoped for was practically dropped on his doorstep. Or more accurately, attached to the screen door at the front of his house. 

One day, just weeks before classes were scheduled to start up once again, the Shirogane household was graced with an ad for the Collins Military Academy. Due to recent breakthroughs by their engineers, astrophysicists, and because of recent increased funding, the Collins Military Academy was to be slowly integrating a brand new Space Exploration program into their normal curriculum. Over the next few years, each of their old programs was going to be changed to accommodate this new directive towards Space Exploration until all programs worked towards this collective goal of the Academy. With this change in focus, the Collins Military Academy was to take on a new name at the beginning of the next calendar year.

The Collins Military Academy would, on January 1st of the following year, be renamed to The Galaxy Garrison- Southwest.

Despite the steep price tag, the closeness and familiarity of this particular academy was reassuring to the Shiroganes. Anyways, after just a little bit of research, the youngest Shirogane discovered that scholarships for financial need, academic merit, and a contract to work with the academy after graduation would more than cover his cost of tuition, books, and room and board.

Within hours of first finding the ad for the rebranding of Collins Military Academy, soon to be known as the Galaxy Garrison, Shiro had filled an application to transfer to the military academy for the next school year starting just two weeks from now.

While move-in day had been intimidating (and meeting all of the instructors and commanders a few days later even more so), one thing stood out to Shiro more than anything else. One of the open garages they passed by entering into the facility was larger than anything he had ever seen before. Inside were rows and rows of planes that sparkled in the sunlight creeping in through the garage door. If they weren’t brand new, then whoever cleaned them did a damned good job.

_Those planes. The first step in my way outta here. The first step towards the stars._


	2. Survival

The roar of the crowd was horrendously loud, but nothing could have been louder to Shiro in that moment than the _thud_ of his opponent as he hit the ground and the slight whir of his mechanical arm after he kept the glowing purple energy going for too long. The arm was a recent development and one he was disgusted at himself for being thankful for.

There had been too many close calls, and there would be no way for him to breakout and find the Holts if he died in the arena.

Oh, the arena. That was not a recent development. He had been forced to fight for his life every few day for the past… few weeks? Had it been months? In the oversized ship, there was no indication of day or night and no set feeding schedule, so there was no real way for Shiro to know how long it had been since he last saw Matt. He hopes it hasn’t been long enough for anything bad to happen to him or his father. At least nothing nearly as bad as this arena and the witch’s experiments.

If he could just endure long enough to break out, he could search for the Holts and somehow find his way back home.

Home. If he closed his eyes, he could imagine that the sweat dripping across his brow was from the sweltering summer sun and not from the exertion and fear of fighting for his life. Lately, his opponents had slowly been getting bigger and stronger, and he knew he wouldn’t last forever. 

… If Shiro could have any one thing in the entire universe _right now_ do you know what it would be? Right now in the middle of an arena full of thunderous applause, Shiro would do anything just for a hug from his mother. 

If she were here, he could pretend everything was okay. If she was here, he could drown out the noise of the crowd. He could pretend he won’t be dragged off any moment back to a solitary cell for the next few days, muzzled, and handcuffed, only to be released for food or a fight. In her arms he would be safe.

But no. Instead, Shiro is stuck on an unknown ship light-years away from Earth and no way out. If only he had a ship, a pod, a suit fit for the vacuum of space, anything, he could start to find his way back.

Suddenly, a group of galra guards burst into the arena- the guards that would take Shiro back to his solitary confinement, one both his left and right, and one following behind. Shiro drops his head at their appearance and places his hand behind his back, readying himself for both the muzzle and the handcuffs. As he’s dragged away from the arena, one thing stand out to Shiro more than anything else. _This isn’t the path back to my room…_

They pass by the open door of what seems to be a garage bigger than any Shiro had ever seen. Inside is row upon row of ships of all sizes, all the way down to individual… escape pods? What was this place? Just then it clicked.

_Those planes. The first step in my way outta here. I just need to get to one of these pods._

Before long, the ‘garage’ passed out of sight. Shiro was led to a new area of the ship he had never seen before. His handcuffs and muzzle were removed before he was placed onto what seemed to be an examination bed and his ankles and wrists were strapped down by the guards.

“The patient is ready, doctor,” one of the guards called out.

Without turning to face the guards, the one addressed as the doctor tersely replied, “Thank you. Dismissed.”

“Of course, Ulaz.”

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are always welcome and I will love any single one of you that does!  
> (Also I know I haven't updated my multi-chapters in months, but when I started writing those, I wasn't writing it for myself and when my external motivation fell through, well... I promise I will go back and finish those- Family Affairs only has one chapter left, and it's half-way written, and I still love the story for Hibiscus so I won't leave them abandoned forever. I just need to recuperate.)


End file.
